


I Promised Lex

by Current521



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid
Genre: Angst, Ethan works at toy zone this time, F/M, Role Reversal, i just uhh wanted me some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:35:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23051815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Current521/pseuds/Current521
Summary: Ethan promised Lex he'd get her and Hannah to California. Tom promised Lex he'd take care of Hannah. Wiggly makes it hard for both of them.
Relationships: Becky Barnes/Tom Houston, Lex Foster/Ethan Green
Comments: 74
Kudos: 73





	1. Ethan

**Author's Note:**

> My brain: What if Ethan was the one who worked in Toy Zone instead of Lex  
> My brain: Do it

"Ethan! Hustle!"

Ethan sighed. "Yes, Frank. Do you want me to unpack these?" He gestured to the box of Wiggly dolls.

"That would be nice, if our hot-ticket item could be on the shelves when we open!" Frank had his arms crossed.

"Jeez, I'm going, I'm going." Ethan went to open the box.

"You know, a little gratitude would go a long way for you. You've dropped out of high school, you've got a record… Who else would hire you?"

"I know, Frank, I know. Thanks." Ethan opened the box and began putting up Wigglys. "Don't you gotta get the checkout?"

"Yes." Frank left.

"Asshole," Ethan muttered to himself. Then he took one of the dolls and stuffed into Lex's backpack, which he'd brought. "You're gonna make us so much money, Wiggly, you wouldn't even believe." He swore he heard the doll speak, but dismissed it as being too tired and perhaps a little too high.

"Mall security, we got a shoplifter, drop that doll!"

Reflexively, Ethan let the doll go, before he realised that it was Lex speaking. "You ain't funny, babe," he said, coming over to give her a hug and a kiss. "Where's your sister?"

"Oh, she's right here. Hannah?" Lex freed herself from Ethan to take Hannah's hand. "Is today a good day or a bad day?"

Hannah sat down on one of the boxes. "Bad day. Black and White."

Ethan sighed. "We don't have time for this, Banana Split." He handed her the backpack. "Your sister tells me you like this backpack. Well, today you get to carry it, alright?"

"No! Bad backpack!" Hannah moved away.

Lex took the backpack from Ethan. "You think I have a bad backpack? That makes me sad." She knelt next to Hannah. "Come on, put it on."

"I'm not supposed to." Hannah hid her hands in her armpits so that Lex couldn't force the backpack on her without hurting her. "Webby says it's evil."

Ethan sighed. "Great, now we gotta talk to the imaginary spider from outer space."

"Ethan! Webby isn't imaginary, alright, Hannah, I know Webby thinks the backpack is evil, but what's inside will get us to California, right? Do you wanna tell Ethan the news?"

"What news?" Ethan walked over and knelt next to Hannah. "What's the news, Banana?"

Hannah did smile a little, temporarily distracted. "People started bidding for the doll. Someone's gonna pay seven."

Ethan sat back on his ass on the ground. "Seven hundred dollars? That's—"

"No no." Lex sat down next to him. "Seven fucking  _ thousand  _ dollars. We're set, babe."

Ethan gave her a hug and a kiss. "That's amazing." He looked at Hannah. "Alright, Banana Split. You see this hat?" He pulled his baseball cap out of his pocket; he wasn't allowed to wear it at work anyway. "This hat was gifted to me by… A great warrior." Lex snickered. Ethan momentarily turned his attention to her. "Don't you fucking laugh." He looked back at Hannah. "It's imbued with the power of Greyskull. It can ward off demons, backpacks… Just about any fucking thing. And as long as it's on your head—" he put it on her "—nothing can harm you. So you just keep that on and take the backpack."

Hannah smiled slightly. "Promise?"

"I promise. Now you take good care of that hat, I'm gonna want it back in tonight, when we're halfway through Illinois, alright?"

"Aha." Hannah nodded and put the backpack on.

Ethan walked over to Lex. "I'll make a great dad, I'm just saying."

"Right, so, I'll take Hannah to the movies, when does your shift end again?"

"At noon."

"Noon, right, and then we're out of here."

"Cali-fucking-fornia!" Ethan kissed her. "I gotta go, work's calling. See you soon, babe. And then we’re off."

"See you soon."

Ethan went back to work, and Lex and Hannah walked away.

He managed to get all the dolls in place before the doors opened. Frank was dramatic about opening the doors, because of course he was; he’d been dramatic all morning, even more so than usual.

Sherman Young was up first; Ethan wasn’t exactly surprised, not even when he asked for  _ all _ the dolls. The guy was filthy rich, inheritance or something, and an absolute nut. He also wasn’t surprised when the rest of the line started complaining; most of them had been there overnight, or longer. He was, however, surprised when Frank agreed to put a limit on the dolls.

And that’s when things started going, well… Wrong was a word, he supposed. Crazy was one too, but he’d gotten used to not saying that; Lex didn’t like him calling Hannah crazy. But these people, bidding for the dolls like their lives depended on it, they were crazy. And the guy who straight up ran up and ripped the doll Ethan was holding out of his hand, well, he was the craziest. Or so he thought; then everyone started fighting, and Ethan knew he had to get the fuck out of there. Find the girls, go to California. He’d promised Lex.


	2. Tom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm quite fond of switching perspectives apparently

People in Toy Zone were going crazy. Tom saw it happen, knew he ought to get out, but he needed that doll. It was the only thing that mattered.

So when people were fighting for it, Tom joined the fray. When people started getting to the stock, he followed. When people started running with the dolls, he tried to grab them.

Except Becky. He let Becky go, although he maybe shouldn’t; she had a doll. But there were several dolls, and he only needed one, and he wanted Becky to be happy, too, still.

He followed her anyway. They needed to get out of Toy Zone, the violence had gotten to the point of murder. He could come back for a doll later.

Two minutes later, Tom and Becky had left Toy Zone; Becky had a doll, but that was fine. He could get it later; right now, they needed to get out.

They arrived at the Cineplex lobby. Tom saw Lex getting knocked over by Gary and another guy, Hannah running away. He didn’t have time to care; they were coming for Becky.

Gary ran off just from Tom yelling at him, which gave them a moment’s reprieve.

“Thank you, Tom.” Becky looked scared, and he couldn’t really blame her. Then Lex, on the floor, moved, and Becky squealed.

They both knelt down to her. “Lex? Are you alright Lex?”

She looked up. “Where’s Hannah? Where’s my sister?”   
Tom looked around, but Hannah was gone. “She’s right here Lex.”   
Lex grabbed his shirt. “Take care of her.”   
“I will, I promise.”   
“Thank you.” Lex sighed and leaned back, eyes closed.   
Becky reached out to take her pulse. “She’s dead. Tom, we gotta get outta here.”   
“I’m not leaving here without a doll.” He looked at Lex. “And I should find Hannah, too, I promised Lex.”   
“Give me the fucking doll, I’m in a hurry!” One of the guys from Toy Zone had run in, running towards Becky.

Tom jumped in; he could take the doll from Becky if he had to, but he’d rather they both got one.

“Tom, look out, he’s got a knife!” Becky screamed.

Then Tom felt something in his side, sharp pain, and then his vision started blurring. The pain didn’t stop.

He was vaguely aware of Becky and the other guy moving before he passed out entirely.


	3. Ethan

Ethan couldn't get out of Toy Zone; he hid in the stockroom. "Alright, Green," he whispered to himself, after too long of breathing heavily in the dark. "Pick a god and pray."

So he did. He picked Webby, which he was pretty sure wasn't a god but an alien, but it didn't matter; he wasn't religious, he just needed something to put his faith in, and what better than something irrevocably tied to the girls he was looking for. Living for.

The door to the stockroom opened. Ethan pressed himself into a corner. "Wiggly. There must be more dolls in here!" It was Sherman Young, looking through the boxes with his creepy demeanour and demented sing-song voice.

"Time to prove your existence, Webby." Ethan grabbed his packing knife and jumped out from his hiding spot, pointing the knife at Sherman. "Alright, sicko. You're gonna show me how to get out of here, and you're gonna let me go. I don't want your damn dolls, take them all for all I care. I just wanna find my girlfriend and her sister and leave."

"Oh no." Sherman moved closer, apparently unfazed by the knife. "Oh no. You will be brought before the mother." He ran up and grabbed the knife before Ethan could react. "I will kill you for her."

Sherman lunged with the knife. Ethan jumped aside and kicked his legs. Grabbed his arm, punched it, hard. The knife went flying. Sherman ripped himself free. Wrapped an arm around Ethan's neck. He couldn't breathe.

_ So this is it, _ Ethan thought to himself.  _ Dying in a damn toy store on Black Friday. _

"No." The voice was unfamiliar, but Ethan opened his eyes to look anyway. No one was there. "You believe in me, Ethan? In Webby?"

_ Yes, damn it. _ He also thought he might be hallucinating due to lack of oxygen, but what the hell; so many weird things had happened, the nearly cult-ish way people had acted about the dolls, Hannah's imaginary spider friend might as well be real too.

"You're not dead yet, Ethan Green." A different voice. This time, there was a man there, a man in a military uniform, holding a gun. "My name is General John McNamara, and I'm going to get you through this. I'm authorising you to use my firearm. You don't have the power, but with Webby's help, you might be able to reach into the Black and White. Believe, Ethan Green. There is a warrior of light in a deep sleep who can help you, but first, you need to survive. So you need to believe."

"I believe." The words were a strangled whisper, but all of a sudden, the gun was in his hand, solid and heavy.

"You're in PEIP now, Ethan. Defeat Wiggly. Save Hannah. Wake the warrior. Save the world."

_ Save myself, _ Ethan thought. Then he shot Sherman.

Sherman was pretty evidently dead, but Ethan didn't have time to process the fact that he'd just killed a guy, nor the fact that the military dude was gone into thin air, nor the fact that the gun had appeared out of thin air in his hand.

He had to find Lex and Hannah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Compartmentalisation is a hell of a tool, huh


	4. Tom

Tom woke up in the Cineplex to the sound of a badly written theme song. “What the fuck am I watching?” He was alone in there, could barely remember what had happened.

“Be careful.” Becky walked into the aisle, rushing over to him. “You’ll rip the stitches. I’ve patched you up, you were stabbed, but it was a first aid kit, there’s a limit to what I can do.”

“Right.” Tom sat back down and looked back up at the screen. “What’s this?” he asked, gesturing to the screen.

“It’s a move.  _ Santa Claus is Going to High School _ ?” Becky seemed distracted. “All the kids in the world are on the naughty list, so Santa turns into a teenager so that he can… Reconnect? Spy on them? I have no idea.” She was looking at his side; Tom could see, now, where his shirt and flannel had ripped; there was a large band aid covering the wound, but it hurt like a bitch.

“How is it?” He vaguely nodded at the screen, but she wasn’t looking directly at him.

“It’s not good, Tom.” She sounded concerned, or exasperated; it had always been hard to tell which, with her.

“No, I was talking about the movie.”   
“So was I.” She was doing the ‘you’re so dumb’ voice at him; he hadn’t heard that since high school. “It’s really bad. You’ll be alright though, the knife missed your vital organs.” She pulled him up to sit.

“Guess it’s my lucky day.” And he supposed, in a way, that it was; he was alive, he was with Becky, he still had a chance to get that damn doll for Tim.

“Tom, look.” Becky pointed at the seat numbers. “G7 and 8. Our old seats. I didn’t even realise, I was just trying to find somewhere safe, must’ve been second nature.”

Still distracted, Tom nodded. “Wonder if it’s still here…” He rubbed the seat in front of them a bit; a carving became evident, a crudely drawn penis. “Yeah! Remember when we carved that?”

“It’s…” Becky sighed. “A penis.”

“If I could go back, I’d carve something nice.” He smiled at her; saying that, more than anything, had broken his resolve.  _ If I could go back _ .

She agreed, and then the talking began. He told her about Jane, about the car crash, how he’d been responsible for it, how Tim hadn’t been the same ever since. She told him about Stanley, about the parties and the beating and how he’d been jealous of Tom even years later. She told him about the murder; Tom was surprised, but not put off. Becky had always been strong.

And maybe, he figured, maybe he had time. Tim was with Emma and that guy, he’d be fine, probably good for him to reconnect with his aunt, and well, given the state of the mall and the state of himself, maybe getting that damn Wiggly doll wasn’t so important, not right then. Maybe he could take a moment for Becky, for the first time in years.


	5. Ethan

He hadn’t taken two steps out of the stock room before he got caught again. Sure, he was armed now, but they were faster. He hid the gun under his jacket, and to his surprise, it seemed to work; they didn’t search him. So although he was tied down and surrounded by crazy people, he was armed. Ethan had never been much of a gun enthusiast, but there was a strange comfort in having it, nonetheless.

Frank was there too, kneeling in the center of the floor, hands tied. Ethan was forced to kneel next to him. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I  _ demand _ that you free me,  _ right now _ , this is  _ my _ store and you have no right—”   
“Silence!” A guy in a beanie and a flannel cut Frank off. “You will speak when the mother tells you to speak!”

Frank looked at Ethan in a panic; Ethan shrugged in reply. He didn’t know what was going on, and he wasn’t about to interfere.

Someone came down the stairs. “I need a vessel.” Ethan looked up to see none other than Linda Monroe, seemingly talking to the sky. “Filled with your essence! I need a Wiggly doll.” She looked down over the small crowd. “Ideally four of them.”

“Look, if it’s Wiggly dolls you want, I can get them for you, straight from the manufacturer’s, at wholesale prices!” Frank was desperate, Ethan figured, and he couldn’t really blame him.

Mrs. Monroe just laughed. “We have no need for your manufacturers. There is still one Wiggly doll left in this mall.” She looked down at Frank. “And you will tell me where it is.”

He wouldn’t know. Ethan knew; it was in Hannah’s backpack. He couldn’t let them know that, however; it was too dangerous. Lex would kill him, if he didn’t kill himself first.

“I know who took it,” he said, before Frank had a chance to speak. “I know where it is. And I’ll bring it to you, if you promise that I can get out of here safely, with Lex and Hannah.”

“You.” Mrs. Monroe walked over to him. She was holding a knife. “You better not be fucking with me, boy.”   
“I’m not, I swear.” Ethan got to his feet to look down at her. “I can get you the doll, just give me some time. An hour, possibly less. I’ll find my girls, we’ll find the doll, come give it to you, and then we’re out of here. Sounds like a deal?”

She scoffed. “I’m not stupid. You there.” She pointed at someone in the crowd. “Accompany him. Let him find these girls he speaks of, then make him find the doll!”

The guy she’d pointed out nodded and grabbed Ethan’s arm. “Let’s go.”   
“Let’s go.” Ethan followed him out of Toy Zone, desperately hoping he’d be able to find the girls.


	6. Tom

He hadn’t really expected to have sex in the empty Cineplex, but well. He wasn't complaining.

However, the movie was over, he and Becky had had their fill of each other — for the moment, at least — and he needed to find that doll.

They made their way through the mall carefully, on the lookout for anyone who might attack them. They didn't find anyone; all back in Toy Zone, Tom supposed, or they’d all left.

Until they did. Hannah Foster was sitting on the floor, tucked away in an alcove outside Marshall's, holding a Wiggly doll. "Tom, look." Becky grabbed his arm. "It's a little girl."

"And she's got a Wiggly doll," Tom agreed. He took a step closer. "Hey Hannah. You know, I promised your sister I'd take care of you."

Hannah clutched the doll to her chest. "No! Don't listen to him, he'll trick you."

"Don't worry, we're adults. We don't get tricked." Tom stepped closer. "You know, I have a son around your age. I'd do anything for him." He was edging towards Hannah as he spoke, who was edging away. "Any fucking thing.” His self-control snapped; he yelled and jumped after Hannah, attempting to rip the doll from her.

The damned kid was fast; she ran, and Tom couldn’t get to her. “Tom!” Becky stared at him. “How could you? You let her get away! You really are a fucking idiot!”

She wasn’t wrong. “Well, I didn’t see you coming up with any bright ideas, cheer captain!”

“You don’t yell at a child, it frightens them.” She shook her head at him and dropped her voice into a lower register, sugar and honey. “You lure them in. Make them trust you. And you put them…” She pulled a syringe out of her pocket. “To sleep.”   
“Smart.” He nodded. “Let’s go.”   
Becky moved up the way Hannah had disappeared. “Little girl? Little girl?” She kept her voice in a sing-song tone, soft and soothing. “Lovely girl. Lovely girl.”   
“Becky look.” Tom pointed at Hannah, down the hall.

“Hey little girl.” Becky walked down; Hannah ran. Becky ran after her, but Tom circled around.

He caught her. “I got her, Becky, I got her!”

Becky ran over and reached to stab Hannah with the syringe. “It’s my leg, Tom.”   
And it was; she’d stabbed herself rather than Hannah. Not that it mattered. Now that he had a solid hold of her, taking the doll away was no problem; Hannah might be faster, but he was stronger.

He could hear Becky pleading with him. “Sorry babe, no dice.” He looked back at her with no remorse. “I’ll see you later.”   
He could vaguely hear her calling him a bastard as he moved off.


	7. Ethan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's angst time baby

He was moving through the mall, the Wiggly maniac following him closely, holding a knife. It didn’t really worry Ethan much; he kept one hand on the gun hidden under his jacket, and while he didn’t want to kill this poor dude, he also didn’t mind much. Not if it meant getting Lex and Hannah to California.

Hannah was tucked in under an unconscious woman; Ethan almost didn’t see her, but he heard her whimper. “Hannah!” He rushed over, pulling the woman off of her and pulling Hannah into a hug. “Are you okay? What happened? Where’s Lex?” She wasn’t wearing the backpack either.

“Lexi…” Hannah started crying. “I’m scared.”   
“It’s alright.” Ethan held her. “I’m here. It’s alright Hannah. We’ll be alright.”   
“Hey.” The guy who’d been following Ethan walked over. “Where’s the doll?”   
“I need to find both the girls first.” He didn’t, unless Lex had the backpack, but there was no reason to let that guy know. “I need to find Lex, then we can find the doll.”   
“He’s getting impatient, boy!”   
“Yeah, and so am I.” Ethan stood up; the guy was taller than him, but he was good at pretending to be imposing. “I’m gonna go find Lex.” He grabbed Hannah’s wrist. “Come on, Banana, we gotta find your sister, California is waiting.”

“Ethan, wait.” Hannah tugged her wrist away. “I know where Lex is.” There were tears in her eyes.

“Alright.” He reached a hand out so that she could take it. “Let’s go find her, then.”

Hannah led him back to the Cineplex. Someone was lying on the floor in the lobby.

Lex.

Ethan ran over to her. “Lex, Lex, no, Lex, no, no, no, Lex, Lex, wake up.” He pulled her up into his lap. “No, Lex, no, you can’t die in Hatchetfield, we need to go to California babe, I promised, remember? You promised me, we’d go to California. Take Hannah and go be a real family, together, right? You can’t die now, you need to wake up, Lex, wake up, I love you Lex.” He could feel tears running down his cheeks. He could also feel how cold Lex’s cheek was, and the unsettling lack of breathing and heartbeat. And he could feel Hannah’s hand on his shoulder.

“Ethan?” She wasn’t crying, not the way he was, but he could hear her voice shaking.   
He took a deep breath and lowered Lex to the floor. “Come on Hannah, we need to get out of here, alright.” He looked at Lex. “Do you… Do you want to bring her?”

“Lexi…” Hannah looked at her sister. “California?”   
“California.” Ethan put an arm around her. “We’ll go, alright Hannah? I promised you and Lex I’d take you to California, I will, alright?”

A cough alerted Ethan to the fact that the guy who’d accompanied him was still there. “We need the doll. You found the girls, now give us the doll.”   
“Right.” Ethan sighed. “You know, you people killed her. If I just told you where the doll is so you can find it, that should be enough.” He let go of Hannah to walk over to the guy. “And if you don’t agree, well—” Ethan pulled the gun out “—I will kill you.” He pointed it calmly at the guy, vision still blurry with tears, but his aim was steady.

“Wow wow wow!” The guy took four steps back, hands up; he dropped the knife.

“Pick up that knife, Banana. Don’t worry, he can’t hurt you.” Ethan wanted to smile at Hannah, to reassure her, but he wasn’t about to take his eyes off the guy he was aiming at.

It occurred to him that he didn’t know if the gun was still loaded, and he definitely hadn’t cocked it since shooting Sherman. It didn’t matter; what mattered was that the intimidation factor was enough for the maniac to keep his eyes on Ethan as Hannah grabbed the knife and moved behind Ethan again.

“Alright.” Ethan looked at the guy. “Playpen by Marshall’s, in the kiddie tunnel. There’s a backpack, the doll’s in there. Go!”

“Alright, I’m going!” The guy turned and ran.

Ethan let his arm drop, put the gun away, and pulled Hannah into a hug. “Time to go, Banana. California’s waiting.” He looked at Lex. “Better hurry up. What happened with the backpack?”   
“Taken. Bad man, red shirt. Angry woman.” Hannah was shaking. “Bad place. Cross. Black and White. Two doors, not one.”

“Yeah.” Ethan remembered what had happened earlier, how he’d gotten the gun. “Hey Banana, can you talk to Webby? We might need its help to get out of here.”   
“Not it. Her.” Hannah looked up. “Webby says… Bad man. Doll. Responsibility.”

Ethan knelt down to Hannah’s level. “I promise you, we’re going to California, you and I. We’ll get out of here.”   
Walking away from Lex was the hardest thing he’d ever done.


	8. Tom

Just one door left. “Hope they didn’t tow my car.” Tom looked at the doll in his hand. “That would be just my luck.”

“Mr. Houston!” Tom turned to see Ethan Green standing behind him, pointing a gun at him. “Mr. Houston, stop! You’re only hurting yourself.”

Tom sighed. “I’ve had a really long day, Ethan, and I just want to give this doll to my son. So if you could get that god damned  _ gun _ out of my  _ face _ , I’d appreciate it.”

“He doesn’t want the doll, Mr. Houston.”

Tom looked closer. Hannah was cowering behind Ethan. “Of course he wants it,” Tom said. “He wants it more than anything.”   
“No he doesn’t.” Ethan shook his head. “Come on when did Tim ever say he wanted a Wiggly?”   
“He must have… We were trying to win one yesterday… And this morning… I know he wants it!” He clutched the doll closer. “And I want to give it to him!”

“Here’s what I know.” Ethan took one hand off the gun and pushed Hannah back, then steadied his aim again before speaking. “I’ve been working at Toy Zone since I dropped out of school, more or less.” He looked like someone who knew how to use a gun, Tom realised, which made him dangerous. “I know what kids are like. Not a single fucking child asked about Wiggly when the campaign launched, it was all adults. Mostly like you, asking for their kids, but the kids were never there, and the kids who were there never asked. Think about it, were there any kids in that line this morning?”   
“It’s a school day.”   
“It’s Thanksgiving break. Hannah would be in school otherwise, so would Tim. They aren’t. The thing about Wiggly that no one talks about is… Kids don’t want that piece of shit. They’re all into Fortnite and like, Pokemon. Hannah couldn’t get far enough away from it, and Lex and I only wanted one to sell. It just… It just promises to fill holes for you. That’s why adults want it more; you have more holes. And Webby knows too; that’s why she talks to Hannah, and why she helped me. You’re like 40, dude, you probably think your life is over. I don’t. I’m moving to California, I’m taking Hannah. I’m gonna be a proper adult, we’re gonna have a life out there.” Tom recognised some of the desperation in Ethan’s voice, but he recognised the hope, too. “Mr. Houston, I know your wife died, and I know… You have so much to worry about. The kids that are gonna hate you, your mortgages, whatever adults worry about, I’ll find out soon enough. And that’s how Wiggly works; he promises to fill all the holes, make everything better. But he won’t. He’s just a doll, he can’t actually do that. Tim isn’t magically gonna be happier with that doll, you’re better off buying him a Nintendo or something. Mr. Houston… Wiggly is a liar. I think you know that.”   
Tom looked up at Ethan, then looked at the doll. He thought of Tim.  _ I can’t fail him now. _ He remembered Tim as he’d been before, all energy and laughter. He remembered Jane, half a glass of whiskey at a bar, smiling, asking him about war and high school with the exact same casual curiosity. Jane, holding him at night, and Tim, climbing in between them.

Tom remembered.

He looked at the doll in his hand. “You’re not that cute after all, are you?” He lifted it up.

“No Tom. Stay in Drowsytown. Stay asleep.” Wiggly’s voice was almost the most unsettling thing he’d ever heard.

“In fact, you’re real fucking ugly.”


	9. Ethan

“We need to go.” Ethan pulled Hannah closer. “We need to get out of here.”   
“I know. Ethan, I think I’m awake, but… Becky.” Tom was breathing heavily. “I need to find Becky. And Lex, she’s—”   
“She’s dead, I know.” Ethan could feel another round of tears. “We don’t have time, Mr. Houston, we need to get out of here! Now!”

“Come on.” Tom began to head back into the mall.

“No!” Hannah screamed and pulled on Ethan’s arm.

“Mr. Houston! Tom, wait!” Ethan stopped when Hannah screamed. “We can’t go back in there. Becky and the others, whoever they are, they’ll be alright. We can’t… I need to get Hannah to safety.”

Tom stopped and nodded. “Give me that gun.” He held out a hand. “You two get out of here. Give me the gun and the doll. I’ll save Becky, see what I can do for everyone else.”   
Ethan sighed. “Alright.” He handed over the gun. “Be careful.”

“I will.” Tom headed back into the mall.

Now unarmed, Ethan looked at Hannah. “Time to go, Banana Split.”

She shook her head and pointed back to where Tom had disappeared. “Responsibility.”

The warrior of light. He suspected it was Tom, but he didn’t know; he’d just woken him up because he’d realised he could. “Hannah, listen.” Ethan knelt down. “Mr Houston’s gonna be fine, but you and I, we need to get out of here. Go to California. If we go back in there, those maniacs are gonna get us, and we’re gonna get hurt, alright? I know you’re scared, but we’ll be fine, I promise. But we have to leave.”   
“Ethan.” Hannah took his hands. “Webby says… She can help you. You can save them all, she can help you.”   
Ethan remembered the gun, now with Tom. “I know she can.” He straightened up. “Alright, Banana. Let Webby lead the way.”

Hannah took his hand and led him into the mall. They found Tom fairly easily, then went looking for Becky; she wasn’t where they’d left her.

“Those maniacs must’ve taken her,” Tom said. “We gotta go find her.”

“Tom, wait.” Ethan wasn’t sure when he’d started referring to Tom by first name, but he didn’t have time to think any more about it. “If we’re going in there, we need a plan.”   
“You’re right.” Tom handed over the Wiggly to Ethan. “If you threaten them with this, maybe I can… I don’t know. I can’t just kill them, they’re just people.”   
“I know.” Ethan looked at Hannah. “Hey Banana, what’s Webby say?”   
“Ethan we don’t have time—”   
“Shut up, Tom.” Ethan held up a hand to stop him. “Hannah?”   
Hannah giggled a little. “Webby says… They need the doll. To get Wiggly here.” She frowned. “I can’t hear…”

“That’s alright.” Ethan looked at Tom. “They need to doll. So we should definitely threaten the doll rather than them.”

“Of course.” Tom pointed at the doll Ethan was still holding. “You got a light? If you threaten to burn that thing, they’ll almost certainly do whatever you say. And if anyone gets too close, I’ll be right behind you.”   
Ethan nodded. “Alright. Let’s go.”


	10. Tom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The issue with changing POVs is that you sometimes have to write a very short chapter in order to get to the thing you want to do

Ethan led the way into the mall. Tom didn’t like putting the kid up front, but he also didn’t wanna let the kid carry a gun. This was the safest way to do it.

They left Hannah tucked away in a small storage space by the ice cream parlour. Ethan had found it, pulled a backpack out and tossed it aside, and told Hannah to get in. She complied.

So now it was just the two of them, Tom and Ethan, making their way towards Toy Zone.

While still out of earshot, Tom reached out to stop Ethan. “Let’s go over the plan,” he whispered.

“I go in, hold up the doll, threaten to burn it if they don’t do what we say. We demand Becky back. You cover me with the gun, make sure no one gets too close.” Ethan was clutching the doll tightly in one hand, and his eyes were darting around, but his voice was steady.

Tom hated seeing a kid so determined to be a hero, but he also needed Ethan’s help, so he didn’t mention it, just nodded. “We got this.”   
“We got this,” Ethan repeated, and moved off towards the store.

There were people all over Toy Zone. Linda Monroe was in the center of the group, on the phone. “No, Gerald, I’m not gonna put you on speaker, no one wants to talk to you!”

“Hey!” Ethan stepped up in full view, holding up the doll in one hand and a Zippo in the other. “This is what you want, right? Well, better do what we want, or I’ll burn your god!”

The crowd moved back in fear, and Tom took this as a sign that Ethan was intimidation enough; he snuck around, trying to get to Linda.

“Release Becky Barnes,” Ethan shouted. “Let her go with me and Tom. We’re leaving here without the doll, you can do whatever you want.”

Linda screamed. Tom got to her, grabbed her, and put a gun to her head.

The entire crowd turned their attention from Ethan to him. "Mother! Release the mother!" He couldn't tell who exactly was yelling, but it didn't matter.

Ethan had grabbed Becky and pulled her out with him; she was half awake, stumbling.

That left Tom with a choice; let go of Linda and hope the gun was enough to get him out of there, or shoot Linda and use the distraction to get out.

He hesitated too long; Linda broke free, and Tom had to run.


	11. Ethan

Becky was heavy, stumbling with him, evidently still disoriented. "Tom?" she asked.

"He's right behind us." Ethan hoped he was right, but he was also prepared to stuff Becky in the backseat with Hannah and leave without Tom if he had to.

Once they were far enough away that Ethan felt confident they weren't being followed, he tossed the doll aside and pulled Becky directly to where Hannah was hiding.

"Hey Banana." He helped Becky sit against the wall so that he could scoop Hannah up in his arms instead. "We're just gonna wait a little bit for Tom, then we're out of here and headed to California."

They waited in silence, Becky and Ethan sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, Hannah curled up in Ethan's arms.

Tom came back. He looked haggard, clutching the gun tightly in one hand, but he looked alright. He was safe.

"Let's go." Ethan got up, still carrying Hannah. "Thanks for all the help, Tom. Hannah and I are out of here."

"Whoa whoa whoa." Tom grabbed Ethan's shoulder. "Where are you going? I promised Lex I'd look after Hannah."

"And I promised I'd get them to California." Ethan shook him off. "I can't bring Lex with me now, but I'm bringing Hannah. We're going to California, and we're gonna have a good life out there. I can take care of her, I know it."

"Ethan…" Tom shook his head. "Just come home with me now. We'll figure it out from there, but you can't just take her. You'll be accused of kidnapping. Come on, we need to go."

"Fuck!" Ethan followed Tom out. "I'm not staying. We're not staying. We need to go."

"I know, Ethan, we have bigger problems."

And because Tom was right, Ethan followed him. And as much as he wanted to just drive off towards the highway with Hannah, he turned and followed Tom's car back to the house.

They never did make it to California.


	12. Tom

Becky was in the passenger seat, pale and drawn, but awake. She looked at Tom. "Where are we going?"

"Back to my house. I need to get Tim." He checked the rearview mirror; Ethan was still following. "He's with Emma and… Someone. If they're still alright, we need to get them and get out of here. Get out of town to… Somewhere. Who knows where."

"Where can we go, is anywhere safe?" Becky looked out the back window. "Is driving safe?"

"I don't know." Tom turned the corner. "We have to. Is Ethan still following?"

"He is." Becky leaned back. "What happened back there?"

"A lot of things." Tom pulled up in front of the house. "We'll take it when we're safe. I need to get Tim." He got out and ran up to the house, Becky behind him.

Ethan pulled out and got out, then carried Hannah up. "Tom, what's happening? What's the plan?"

Tom ignored him, ran up to the house, and ripped the door open. "Tim! Are you alright?"

"Tom, thank God!" Emma came running into the hall. "We were watching the news, we were considering getting out of town, but—"

"Dad!" Tim pushed her aside and ran towards Tom, who scooped him up into a hug.

Tom was vaguely aware of a strange sound, like something falling from too great a height, but the last thing he noticed was Tim, safe in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im..... Sorry


End file.
